ABS Audits Univan Tanker

Tuesday, December 09, 2003

Hong Kong based Univan Shipmanagement becomes the latest organization to achieve certification from class society ABS in order to meet the IMO’s International Ship and Port Security (ISPS) Code in preparation for the July 2004 implementation date.
Univan Ship Management and its sister company Pacific Marine, together manage a diverse fleet of over one hundred vessels comprising tankers, bulk carriers, pure car carriers, chemical tankers, container carriers, general cargo vessels, reefers, supply vessels and woodchip carriers.
“We are looking to ABS not only to help us meet the ISPS Code requirements but also for harmonization of ISM and ISPS as well as other management systems certification,” said Univan’s Chairman Capt. Charles A. Joseph Vanderperre. “As a pro-active ship manager, we intend to ensure that our entire fleet meets the ISPS Code requirements well ahead of the compliance deadline,” he added.
In the initial contract stage the first verification audit took place this month on Univan’s ABS classed VLCC tanker “C Dream”. The “C Dream” is the first ABS audited vessel fitted with a Ship Security Alert System. According to the ISPS Code requirements, all vessels to which the code applies need to be fitted with a ship security alert system capable of sending a covert alert to authorities ashore in the event the vessel’s security has been breached or threatened.
“We are seeing a surge of activity in the Asia Pacific now” said Capt. Hemant Juneja, Division Head – Safety, Environmental & Security Certification for ABS Pacific. “There is a growing sense of urgency and an increased awareness that maritime security is a real issue. Vibrant ship managers are now aligning their safety & security management systems.”
According to ABS Manager of Safety & Environmental Systems Certification Patrick Fallwell there is a growing industry trend of renewed interest in management systems in general as heightened by the ISPS Code.
He explains that the ISM Code was the first step toward addressing the human component of ship operations which has become one of the cornerstones of the industry’s “safety culture”. The underlying philosophy of the ISM and ISPS Codes are similar and require the same audit approach so it makes sense, where possible, to coordinate the two for a cost effective and practical approach for clients.
Fallwell notes that Univan’s commitment to safety and quality is evident citing Univan’s separate and totally independent department which regularly carries out safety inspections of vessels in its fleet. Univan safety and quality staff are located in Mumbai and Hong Kong.
ABS was the first classification society to issue guidance on meeting the ship security code and has distributed thousands of the first edition of the ABS Guide for Ship Security in response to industry demands. The second edition is now available in print and in CD version. It can also be downloaded from the ABS web site.
ABS is authorized as a RSO to perform verification audits for compliance with the ISPS Code and to issue International Ship Security Certificates on behalf of 29 flag Administrations. It has applied to all leading flag Administrations worldwide to act on their behalf.
Nearly 150 ABS auditors have been trained to assist shipowners with meeting both IMO requirements and, when required, the additional security-related standards required for awarding the optional ABS class notation for security (ABS SEC). ABS’ Safety & Environmental Systems Certification (SESC) Department has regional managers and a worldwide workforce of auditors prepared to meet certification needs.
It is estimated that the Code requirements and required ISSC certificate apply to approximately 43,000 ships and mobile offshore drilling units.